


Ladder of Dreams

by lululopez01



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Magic, Duelling, Duelling Club (Harry Potter), Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Friendship, Gen, Girl-Who-Lived (Harry Potter), Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Heir of Hogwarts Founders, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Founders Era, Independent Harry Potter, Legilimency (Harry Potter), Magic, Magic makes sense, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Nobility, Occlumency (Harry Potter), Plot holes fixed, Politics, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Pureblood Politics (Harry Potter), Revenge, Rituals, Sirius Black's Son, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Wandless Magic (Harry Potter), Wizarding Politics (Harry Potter), Wizarding World (Harry Potter), Wizarding world makes sense, Wizengamot, World Domination, Worldbuilding, Wrong Boy-Who-Lived (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28521909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululopez01/pseuds/lululopez01
Summary: They thought they could control her.They thought wrong.Alora Potter has broken out of her magical block and is ready to enter the Wizarding World, where her twin has purposely been falsely named the Boy-Who-Lived.In a world where power is everything, Alora takes on the role of Lady Emerys and begins the fight for the control of Magical Britain.Dear 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 and 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭,We are hungry for revenge. We are hungry for power. We are ready to shape this world to our desires.Love from,𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------AN:This is NOTHING like the Potter Twin Cliche.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments: 11
Kudos: 204





	1. PART 1;

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

~The beginning of something new~

A chance~

~ A brand new chance to make this world her own.

~And they had no idea.~

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────


	2. Visions

A pair of ocean green eyes watched the last of the sunlight vanish away from sight. Shadows engulfed the space once more. The hard cold stone lining the area had long since stopped bothering the owner of the eyes. 

The space lacked a mirror. But if the ocean green eyes could peer into a mirror, they would find a ghost of a girl peering back.

Hopelessness rattled around the room, bouncing off the four walls enclosing the girl.

It had been nine years since she had breathed fresh air. Nine years since she had felt the cool wood of her bedroom floor pressed against her feet. Nine years since she had heard someone call her name. Alora Potter.

All her life Alora thought she had been a normal girl. Nothing weird had ever happened around her. She had just been a normal girl who went to a normal school and lived with a normal family. Alora. Just Alora.

But that day...that day, nine years ago...

Something had snapped. Something inside of Alora broke, and a flurry of power erupted from within.

She had been sitting on the park bench next to two of her classmates. A cry from a bit afar had drawn her attention. Her eyes jumped to a boy surrounded by four older boys. She hadn't quite been able to make out the words, but she had clearly seen the punches and kicks thrown at the young boy.

She had leapt up from the bench and had run straight at the commotion.

"Back off him!"

Whatever impression she had hoped to make failed. The four older boys turned and looked down at her. Slowly a smile had crept across their faces.

"Oh well... It looks like we might have to take you too..."

"Oh yes, what a shame..."

Upon hearing their sarcastic remarks, Alora had tried to take a step back. But a hand had grabbed her from behind, and it had pushed her forward roughly.

"We're going to teach a lesson, kid. You don't interfere where you don't belong."

Anger had welled up inside of Alora. Anger at the boys. Anger for the young boy still cowering on the floor. Anger for herself too, for not having thought out her actions in advance.

That was when it had happened. That was when it snapped.

An angry rush of magic exploded from inside her. It swirled about and formed a hurricane of power. It had been so compelling that she had gotten lost in it. In its power. The anger. The need for revenge.

When it settled down, eight children lay on the floor amidst what had been a park.

The two girls Alora had been sitting with earlier. The four boys that had been the cause of her anger. The young, bullied boy. And Alora.

Alora had been the only one breathing.

She had woken up in the room. The cell. The prison cell for juvenile delinquents. She was a murderer. She had killed seven children.

When she had tried to recall what had happened, two different sets of memories had arisen. One memory was clear; it showed her displaying her power from inside her. She knew it was real, that it had indeed happened.

Yet, a more blurry, unclear memory had floated along as well. It showed Alora stabbing all seven children with a knife. That wasn't true. She knew it wasn't what had happened.

Whatever this power that she had was, someone had messed with it. Someone had messed with her head. Someone had tried to convince her she had used a knife. They had failed.

When she had tried to reach for her power again, she had found nothing. She felt nothing. She knew it was gone. She hadn't made it up; she knew she had it earlier.

Someone had destroyed it. Someone had taken Alora's power.

She didn't understand how she had taken the children's lives. She hadn't wanted to. It scared her that she hadn't been able to control her power. She had been too angry and fearful.

But she hadn't gotten a chance to learn her power, to control it. To make sure it didn't lash out again.

She hadn't understood.

The questions had been left unanswered for some time, as the seven-year-old murderer sat in her cell. What was this power, why did she have it, why was it gone, and who had taken it?!

But the answers came. Unexpectedly sure... but they came.

They came in visions, flashes of another world. Visions tied in strings, some spaced apart, some roped tightly.

They were always from a different viewpoint. Alora could only watch. The visions gave her something to live for, something to have hope for. When her world had been reduced to a cold prison cell, she took solace in the other world.

A world of magic. A world of happiness, of peace, of friendship and real family.

For a few years, at least.

One of the first visions she had was of a foggy crystal ball. As she watched, the fog took the shape of a woman, and a raspy voice broke out.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark them as his equal, but they will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

It didn't really mean anything to her at first. She had already seen visions of the Dark Lord, images of the war. It gave her a bit of hope, though, that someone had the power to end the war. But she didn't know who it was.

The first time she saw them, she was overcome with emotion. Elation, shock, betrayal, hope. A pretty red-haired woman with emerald green eyes, and a man with unruly black hair. Her parents.

Her parents looked quite a bit like Alora. Alora's own ocean green eyes were a mix of her parents' eyes and her own ash brown hair flowed like her mother's hair. And her features looked remarkably like hers too.

When she saw them next, Lily was peering over a baby cradled in her arms. Her grin stretched across her face. The babies eyes were green. But they weren't ocean green; they were emerald green. Emerald green eyes?

_"I'm glad I convinced you to change his name," said Lily, still fondly watching her son. "Having him named after you but not having her named after me wouldn't have fit well."_

_"Jaxon is close enough," responded James with a smile. "It does fit him well."_

_"Jaxon Harry Potter."_

_Only then did Alora notice the second child wrapped in James's arms._ **_Ocean_ ** _green eyes. It was her._

_"And Alora Iris Potter."_

She had a twin?! What happened to him? Why had she never seen him before?

A few weeks later, she had a vision with her answer.

_Cheerful laughs rang around the village, coming from children dressed as vampires, ghosts, celebrities, and everything in between. They didn't notice anything out of the ordinary as a man practically floated down the street. They thought it was another costume, after all. The man stopped at a house, and his blood-red eyes stared through the windows. They were all there, in the living room. Clueless. Perfect._

_He blasted through the door and watched as Lily grabbed her children and ran up the stairs. He approached the petty man. Ha. As if he could do anything to stop him. Him, the Dark Lord. And wandless, no less._

_But the Dark Lord had rewarded the life of a mudblood to one of his most faithful servants. He wasn't going to kill a pureblood but let the mudblood live. A red light shot from his wand and James fell to the floor. Voldemort continued through the house, as an eery laugh escaped his throat._

_He blasted the second door open and was met with a fierce look._

_"Take me! Not Jaxon, not Alora. Kill me instead!"_

_"You silly girl!"_

_He stunned the Potter Lady and continued to the crib holding two children. The boy had begun to cry, but the girl stared straight back at the red eyes. He felt it—the sheer, pure, magic radiating off of her. The Dark Lord knew then that it was her, the child of the prophecy. It was a shame really, to kill such pure power. He would have loved her strength in his ranks. Nevertheless, he raised his wand straight at the girl._

_"Avada kedavra!"_

_But the spell was met only with a piercing scream coming from Voldemort himself. The unavoidable spell had bounced harmlessly off the girl. And when the curse hit Voldemort's soul, a small fragment was split off, and it attached itself to the room's closest living thing. Alora now had a lightning bolt scar, hiding the dark soul inside._

It was her! Alora was the child of the prophecy, the one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord! And she had felt the power too, the day she was locked up. It may be gone now, but she had felt it.

But her parents weren't killed that night. Neither was her twin brother.

By the time she had wrapped her mind around the fact she was the child of the prophecy, another vision arrived. And it was met with pure anger.

Alora watched as a tall thin man with silver hair and a beard walked in. She had seen this man before; he was the leader of the Light—the leader of the resistance against Voldemort.

She watched as Dumbledore approached the scene, having already checked that her parents were still alive. He walked up to the crib, and when he saw the unconscious girl with a lightning bolt scar on her forehead, he said, "So he choose the girl."

Alora watched as Dumbledore pointed his wand at the girl and muttered some phrases while making complex wand movements. A shield-like form floated out of his wand and floated straight at Alora. The shield went directly inside her.

It seemed like it had vanished, but Alora knew better. She knew what he had done; it wasn't a shield. It was a block. The moment the spell reached the girl Alora felt the magic stop pouring out of her. The block shut, and the magic stopped. The magic was trapped inside her, and it was all Dumbledore's doing.

To anyone else in the juvenile prison, the screams erupting from the cell would have sounded like any other crazy teenage scream.

But it was a scream of frustration and betrayal. Why! Why had he done that? She grew more and more furious as she watched on.

Her brother Jaxon was declared the Boy-Who-Lived. The saviour of the Wizarding World. And Dumbledore made up some bullshit story that Alora had lost all her magical power when Jaxon "destroyed" the Dark Lord. He convinced her parents that she was a squib now.

And she couldn't stop the tears streaming out of her eyes as she watched Lily and James agree to send off Alora. Agree to send her off to her muggle relatives. 'To keep her safe'.

Sure, it took a lot of convincing. And her parents looked absolutely devastated when they sent Alora off. So did Sirius and Remus. But they did it anyway.

They thought they were doing the right thing, but Alora wasn't a squib at all. Her magic was just trapped.

So that explained what had happened that day her had power broken free. Of course, she hadn't been able to control it; it had been untamable and fierce. It had been locked up for so many years that when it had burst free, it had created a hurricane of destruction.

That was also the day Dumbledore did the unspeakable. Seeing as his block didn't work, he destroyed her magical core. And sent her to the muggle prison, away from prying magical eyes.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The visions continued throughout the years.

She saw her brother get sorted into Gryffindor. She saw him befriend a bushy-haired muggleborn girl. She saw him fight a troll and saw his showdown with the DADA Professor aka Voldemort. She saw him laughing among his friends and his family. Her family. The one she should have had too.

She watched as the chamber of secrets was opened by a Dark Lord possessed Ginny Weasley. When Hermione figured out the puzzle, she watched as Jaxon came into the chamber and attempted to save Ginny.

Attempted.

But failed.

He destroyed the diary just as the last bit of life left the fiery red-haired girl, and Alora had to watch as the cold corpse of a once temperamental girl was carried out.

That was when the tone had become much more sombre.

She watched as Jaxon was entered in the Triwizard Tournament. And she watched him get to the final task. And the graveyard.

The duel between Jaxon and the revived Dark Lord was a mockery. And after a few torture sessions, Voldemort sent out his bright green curse. There were no connections or twin wands. The curse hit Jaxon's chest, and he collapsed onto the floor, never to move again.

Although there were suspicions, there was no proof that the Dark Lord had returned. But without their "saviour", hope was sparse.

War was on the rise.

She watched as the Dark Lord gathered his Death Eaters. As they began to whittle down the Order one by one before the public even knew what had happened.

On the day they made their presence known they attacked Hogwarts. The only son of Sirius Black was at Hogwarts.

But he stood with the Death Eaters, firing dark curse after dark curse at his ex-classmates.

She watched as most of Jaxon's former friends were killed. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley too.

The battle ended when Dumbledore fell.

The only one the Dark Lord ever feared had fallen, and the Wizarding World was now at Voldemort's mercy.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Alora pressed her back against the wall of the dim room. All hope was gone; all hope was lost.

A familiar cackle filled Alora's ears. She straightened. This wasn't a vision; she was actually here.

Bellatrix.

A large explosion drowned out her evil laughter, and the muggle prison began to cave in on itself.

The last thing Alora saw was a puff of black smoke shooting out into the sky as the rubble fell upon her.

Alora Iris Potter died at age 17.

⋆

⋆

⋆

And then awakened in an unfamiliar land.


	3. In-Between

The first thing Alora noticed was something carelessly flowing through her body. Something familiar. Something she thought she had lost forever.

Magic. Her magic was back where it belonged.

The sudden realization caused Alora to pop her eyes open. White mist floated around her; it was impossible to see anything at all.

She didn't know where she was, but she could hardly care. She had gained back what she should have always had. And it felt amazing. She felt complete.

As Alora took a step forward through the white mist, she peered down at herself. Her prison dress had vanished and was replaced with the same summer dress she had worn before prison.

The white mist began to evaporate, and Alora finally saw her surroundings.

She was in a small room, lined with warm wooden floor. She took a step closer to a wooden table in the centre of the room. A glowing crystal ball lay atop the table. The light shined around the room, eradiating any shadows. Alora didn't have to watch Trelawney speak again before she recognized the prophecy.

Prophecies. No one truly understands the ancient magic, too vast and complex to wrap one's mind around the concept. And this prophecy spoke of fairy tales, of special powers, of ending wars and darkness. But if you took a deep dive below the surface, the only thing you would find is a child bound to the prophecy. Bound to the life of trying to be a hero. The prophecy controlled the girl like a master controls his puppet. Tied with steel strings and pretty ribbons.

Alora tore her eyes away from the crystal ball; she didn't have to listen to her fate again. She looked behind the table and at the walls of the room. The walls were painted in vivid colour. Red and gold, blue and bronze, yellow and black, silver and green. Lions, eagles, badgers, and snakes.

Just then Alora realized she wasn't alone in the wooden room.

Her eyes fell on four people stood against a wall, and a fifth slightly off to the side.

She called out to them, "Hello?"

A plump woman with short auburn hair took a step forwards. "Hello, Alora."

Confusion showed across Alora's face. "Who are you guys? And where am I?"

"Of course, my apologies. I am Helga Hufflepuff," The auburn-haired woman replied. She looked at the silver-eyed man to her right, who in turn introduced himself.

"Salazar Slytherin."

"I'm Godric Gryffindor," said a man with flaming red hair.

"I am Rowena Ravenclaw," said a beautiful dark-eyed woman.

"And I am Merlin Emrys, although in your time they just call me Merlin," said the man standing slightly to the side with a smile.

Recognition flared through Alora, and she looked at the four founders and Merlin in wonder. Merlin perfectly matched his chocolate frog card and looked just as eccentric as others said.

Helga's warm smile matched the jovial features of Godric. Rowena struck as an icy figure, pretty but slightly intimidating. Salazar looked every bit as intimidating as his reputation, but he had a smile across his face.

Alora marvelled at the fact that she was meeting the greatest wizards and witches of all time.

"Oh um... well, nice to meet you..."

"You too," replied Merlin. "And as to where you are, you are in a limbo of sorts. You just died, yet you are not in the land of the dead. You are in between life and death."

"Why am I here, then?" Her eyes came to rest again at the crystal ball still frantically glowing. "Does it have anything to do with the prophecy?"

"It has everything to do with the prophecy," replied Rowena. "Specifically about the part that was not quite fulfilled."

Not fulfilled? Alora thought it had been. She was the daughter of ones who had thrice defied the Dark Lord, and she was born mere moments before the end of July, was marked as the Dark Lords equal, and... Oh.

"It said I had to kill the Dark Lord, or that he would kill me. But neither happened..."

"It did not," Rowena said. "That is due to an intervention by Death and Fate."

"Death and Fate have intervened?"

"Death has been rather frustrated with the Dark Lord for a while. He often is, with anyone who has created a Horcrux. But the Dark Lord has created more than one, and Death feels cheated."

"For good reason," said Helga, "Together with Fate, they were able to arrange a death that wouldn't fulfil the prophecy."

"So that I would be brought here," said Alora.

"Correct. And so you would then have a chance to destroy the Horcruxes, and defeat the Dark Lord," Salazar added.

"But how could I? My parents have abandoned me; I live in the muggle world! I don't have any sort of special powers, and I haven't learnt any magic at all!"

"Not yet, you haven't," said Salazar.

"But beyond being just the child of the prophecy, you have the traits needed to stop the Dark Lord," said Helga. "Smart and cunning, a planner, understanding and adaptable..."

"And you will be able to attend magical school, Hogwarts in fact," said Salazar.

"Hogwarts is gone though, and pretty much the whole world is destroyed."

"It is right now, but it wasn't before," said Rowena. A slight smirk played at her lips, taking delight in her cryptic message.

"Wait... if I go back to the living world, when would I go back to?"

"You would go back to one week before the incident that ended you in prison. You would be seven years old, about to turn eight," said Rowena.

Seven years old? That would be before the Dark Lord had even returned. She could stop him from returning in the first place. And Hogwarts! She could actually go to a magical school! Alora smiled at the thought.

"Your magic is already powerful. You only need to learn to use it. And these other special powers, those we can give you," said Merlin.

"My magic is powerful?"

Merlin looked confused for a second, and then he said, "How much do you know about how magic works?"

Alora had seen a few classes in her visions, but she hadn't learnt much about magic in general. "I don't know anything at all really."

"Magic is an energy force called the Aether. The Aether is distributed worldwide and can only interact with the physical world with the aid of a magical core," lectured Merlin.

"A magical core... So any witch or wizard?"

"Exactly. Your magical core is always gathering pure magic from the Aether. But witches and wizards can't use pure magic."

"What do they use then?"

"The pure magic in your core converts into _ready_ magic as it flows into your body. Doing so releases a toxin, and the buildup of said toxin causes magical exhaustion. Anyway, this ready magic is what wizards and witches use for spells."

"What did you mean then when you said I was powerful?"

"Well, a person's ready magic is what makes everybody's magic different. Most magical people lose a lot of magical purity when their magic is converted. However, a more powerful witch or wizard can transfer magic into their ready magic without losing too much magical purity. "

"So my ready magic is really pure?"

"It is, it's almost completely pure. It means that you are very in tune with the magic of the world and your own magic. You can sense magic in the world around you, including other people's magic. There are only two people in your time which have magic as pure as yours."

"Dumbledore?"

"And Voldemort."

"Oh..."

Having powerful magic sounded great to Alora. She wouldn't be wholly outshined; she just had to learn. And she had the potential to be just as great as Dumbledore and Voldemort.

"So I will get to go to Hogwarts, then. And learn magic. Because when I go back, I won't have my magical block, right?"

"You won't," said Rowena.

"Great, so then I won't lose control of my magic again, and I won't be sent to prison."

"You will still only be a seven-year-old with no magic experience," said Salazar. It was rather like Salazar to look at the more realistic facts.

"But I will know the future," said Alora. She might have no experience, but she had an advantage. And she was rather determined to learn as much about magic as possible. "Although I will also be a nobody. You know, like no one knows I'm the girl-who-lived. I will have no power, and will be at the mercy of Dumbledore just as much as Voldemort."

"That's what we're changing," said Merlin.

The five witches and wizards were now standing directly in front of Alora in a semi-circle. They all looked quite excited and determined.

Alora knew she would be insignificant in the magical world. Lords and ladies of Noble houses ran the magical world.

It was a system that Merlin, in fact, had created centuries ago, called the Noble Family Magics. Merlin chose 98 wizards to become lords of noble houses and to make up the wizards council.

Back when magical people were sparse and targetted by muggles, the Noble Family Magics ensured that each "important" family would have a lord to represent them, and have heirs for future lords and ladies.

In Alora's time, the lords and ladies of Noble houses were all part of the Wizengamot and created the wizarding world's laws. Beyond that, however, they also had a magical advantage.

Any magic such as spells, rituals, or artefacts, created by a member of a Noble house could have been chosen to become family magic. This meant that only members of the house could use this magic. The Noble houses all had magical knowledge leading back a thousand years.

This is why muggleborns were so insignificant. The members of Noble houses had social standing and knowledge. Everyone else was irrelevant.

Alora looked up to meet Merlin's eyes. He was the one who had created the system after all. "How are you going to change that?"

"The houses of Emrys, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin currently have no lords or ladies. They have completely died out, as Voldemort was unable to claim the Slytherin lordship," said Merlin.

What Merlin was implying...

"We would make you the lady of all our houses."

Shock hit Alora like a tsunami. She, Alora, the lady of the most ancient and well-known houses!

"I - what? Really?!"

"Yes, really," Merlin said back.

Rowena now had a huge smile shining across her face. "You would have great political and social standing, and of course, access to all of our family magics, ones which have been lost for centuries."

Alora could hardly believe it. She would be the lady of five houses and continue the legacy of five incredible witches and wizards. She would still be a seven-year-old, but she could also play the part of a lady.

"I... wow, I mean, that's amazing! I'd be honoured. It would certainly help me out quite a bit. I don't believe I would join either the Dark or the Light sides in the Wizengamot though."

"It's up to you to decide what to do in the Wizengamot. But we are all sure that you will do great things," said Merlin.

"Alright, then. Let's do it," said Salazar.

Merlin raised his wand and pointed it at Alora. A white light shot out of his wand and created a dome-like form around her. Godric, Helga, Rowena, and Salazar raised their wands and red, yellow, blue, and green lights respectively joined the dome.

Alora could feel the sheer power radiating around her. The dome began to close in on her until it met her body and the magic flowed inside.

The magic surged through her body and made it it's home. Alora raised her right hand when she felt something on her index finger.

A silver ring was wrapped around her finger, with embellishments of a lion, badger, eagle, snake, and a diamond—her ladyship ring.

Alora smiled for the first time in what felt like forever. Her radiant smile matched the smiles of Merlin and the founders.

"You will need allies," Salazar said.

Alora knew she would. She couldn't be alone for this. Because she despised both the Light and the Dark, she would make allies out of the Neutrals. She could turn the Neutrals into followers of a different cause. They would no longer just be Neutrals.

And for children, for people to accompany her on her journey...

She thought back to the visions she had had of the student's in Jaxon's year. She would be unable to sway Jaxon or Ron, but, Hermione?

Hermione had been the brightest witch of her age, even while being a muggleborn. And if she got to her before she met Jaxon...

The son of Sirius Black had proven himself to be a powerful opponent. He too had hated the way the Light ran. Perhaps he could be swayed.

And Ginny Weasley had been a fierce spirit and fighter, right up until she was killed. Well, she wouldn't get killed this time around. She would be a great teammate.

Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy had been exceptional in Herbology and Potions, respectively. They would be challenging to get to, specifically Draco, but it would be worth it if she could accomplish it.

And of course, she would have the children of the neutrals.

"I know I do. I have got a few in mind," Alora said.

"That's great, teamwork will surely help you out," Helga said.

"You need one final thing," Merlin said.

What else could Alora possibly need?

"Yes?"

"A wand, of course."

Oh. Right.

"What about the trace, though? Doesn't it track all magic that comes out of a wand of an underaged wizard?"

"It does," Merlin said. "But we aren't known as the most powerful wizards and witches for nothing. We have created a wand for you and added a powerful enchantment so that the ministry can't track it. You will still need to get a new wand when you turn eleven for Hogwarts, though."

Merlin turned to the wall behind him. Underneath the Hogwarts themed decorations, a wand was strapped into the wall. He grabbed the wand, turned and faced Alora, then passed it to her.

Alora gave the wand a wave and was surprised when a feeling of warmth flashed throughout her. She looked down at the wand in her hand. It was white, with a few strips of colour going up and down the wand.

"I thought so," said Merlin. "I created the wand core with four separate elements, each reflecting the new family magic you now have. They are lion mane, badger claw, crowned eagle tail feather, and basilisk fang."

Wow. All four houses perfectly blended into Alora's own wand. "It's beautiful. And that sounds like one strong core. What about the wand's wood?"

"Acacia wood. It creates tricky wands that only produce magic for its owner, and it shows it's best effects for only the most gifted," Merlin said.

"Quite the powerful wand indeed," Rowena said.

"Thank you, all of you, so much for this," Alora said.

"You are very welcome," Helga said.

Salazar looked Alora straight in the eye. "So, will you bring justice to our house names?"

"Yes," Alora replied. " _All_ of them."

She was ready. Alora was prepared for this, for her fate, and even more.

"Do not forget to be loyal, patient, and hardworking," Helga said.

"And to use your wit and your sharp mind," Rowena said.

"Nor should you forget to be brave and courageous," Godric said.

"And to be cunning and ambitious," Salazar said.

Merlin pressed a book into Alora's hand, then took a step back and smiled at her. "Don't forget, and you could take over the world if you wanted to."

Alora looked at each of the founders in the eye, taking their words to heart, and then at Merlin. "I won't forget. I will make you all proud."

They all replied, "We know."

As the scene around Alora began to fade once more to white mist, Merlin looked at her and said, "This will not be the last time you see us."

Alora asked, confused, "What do you mean?"

"You'll see. You will see in a few years. Don't stress about it."

Alora supposed she would just have to find out when the moment came. "Okay, then. Until later."

Alora smiled at the five great wizards and witches, and it was the last thing she saw before everything faded to white mist.

Alora had a chance. A chance to make her name known, a chance to show precisely who Dumbledore and Voldemort had messed with. She was going to make this world her own.

Steel strings and pretty ribbons still attached the prophecy and the girl.

But every string and ribbon has two ends. And in the blink of an eye, you might have just missed the turn of the tides.

Because the girl now pulled the strings and tied the ribbons. The girl with the chance will use every tool she finds. The prophecy was no longer a puppet master. It was now a unique tool.

It was a tool at the mercy of one Alora Potter.


	4. Number Four, Privet Drive

Floorboards were creaking in the room next door, the television downstairs hummed faintly, and plates scraped on the dining room table. The familiar sounds of number four, Privet Drive echoed inside the smallest bedroom of the house. The soft grey covers of Alora's bed lay under her back, and her head rested on her cotton pillowcase.

It had been so long since she had been in her room that all the things she had never spared a second glance before now seemed fascinating. In the corner of her room, the simple white desk, her wardrobe with a few open drawers displaying unfolded clothing, her shoes flung in another corner.

It wasn't so much a home, per se, but instead normalcy and familiarity.

Feeling like she usually would after a good night's sleep, Alora sat up on her bed. She turned to look out the window next to her, which streamed in the early July morning sunlight.

Amongst the green that spread everywhere, nearly identical houses lined the street. Each house attempted to showcase their perfect little families. This one was no different from Uncle Vernon's constant business dinners for his excellent drill company, Aunt Petunia's perfect front lawn and furniture, and Dudley's politeness. Polite when he wasn't bullying 'lesser' kids, naturally.

Alora also fit into the act. She played the part of a well behaved little orphan girl, grateful for her house and Aunt's hospitality.

Alora lifted her hands to inspect the items she held. Her white with coloured stripes wand rested in her left hand. She twirled the wand around a few times. She had seen all the magical people carrying this tool, and now she finally owned one of her own.

Her right hand was clasped around a book; the one Merlin had handed her only moments before her return. She reluctantly set her wand down in her lap to examine the book.

After a more thoughtful examination, it proved to be more of a journal than a book. The cover was a solid grey with no lettering insight. The journal's contents appeared to hold the knowledge of both ordinary magic that she would have to learn as soon as possible, and the new magic she had acquired in the in-between.

"Alora! Get up and help me prepare breakfast!"

The knowledge would have to wait.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Alora's plate was spotless even after a second helping. Her aunt's cooking was nowhere near like the fancy restaurants they occasionally dined in, but it was delicious compared to the scaps from prison. Breakfast had proved to be a valuable time to sort out her next steps. She didn't want to stay at her aunt's house any longer than she had to.

Aunt Petunia had never mistreated Alora. Neither had her husband or her cousin Dudley. But they had never quite been loving to her either. Dudley was their only son and deserved to be continuously praised. Alora was the cousin, who needed food, clothing, shelter, and education. But as long as she helped Dudley out whenever required, they enjoyed Alora's school and sports achievements. Good performances are the sort of positive gossip that Aunt Petunia wanted, even if she desperately wished it was about her son.

Alora placed her glass back on the table with a bit more force than intended and caused the still eating family members to glance at her. However, their focus quickly redistributed to their plates in front of them.

By the time Alora had finished clearing the table, she had determined the list of spells she would need to learn before leaving. Thankfully, it wasn't too long.

It consisted of apparition, disillusionment, silencing charm, confundus, and a stunner.

With the effort she typically set on reading and schoolwork, Alora got to work.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Alora spent the majority of the day with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon had gone off to a business meeting directly after breakfast, but Aunt Petunia, Dudley, and herself had been invited to a neighbour's house for tea.

Dudley and Piers were good friends and spent the majority of their stay playing videogames. The adults spent their time in good conversation, and Alora had occupied herself with finishing a book she had started a bit ago about starting a business. It had recently occurred to her that she had no money and that the position she wanted to create for herself in the wizarding world required steady finance.

The wizarding world's economy was almost entirely separated from the muggle world. This was due to the Gringotts Finance Separation. The separation was wholly backed by old goblin magic, meaning that it was impossible to alter with wizard magic. The separation ensured that any money made by using magic to take advantage of muggles immediately became stolen money. The funds would then promptly vanish from the witch/wizard and reappear with the muggle.

This prevented wizards from doing things such as summoning muggle money, using a confundus charm or imperious curse to give themselves money, or using magic to duplicate items and sell them.

What hadn't occurred to most magical people was the possibility of owning a muggle business. The money would not become stolen money as long as they didn't use magic. And with the knowledge Alora had from the business talks with Uncle Vernon and the books she had read the past few years, she was sure she could accomplish this.

The afternoon consisted of cleaning the house which Alora still despised, and doing yard work outside. She had enjoyed the work in the garden, as the sun was out and Alora had missed the sunlight terribly.

As the sun began to set, Alora had excused herself from a family dinner at a nice restaurant by claiming that she didn't feel too well and wouldn't want to have to run for the bathroom at such a nice place. The Dursleys, of course, had entirely agreed with her and left Alora behind.

Alora walked up the stairs to her room, carrying the turkey sandwich she had prepared for herself. Upon entering, she eagerly grabbed the journal and finally began to read after having had to wait all day. The first page described complex and entirely new magic, while the pages afterwards entailed a few spells Merlin thought Alora needed to learn right away. The final page had detailed instructions for the currently very illegal Ageing Potion. All in all, the journal was relatively short.

_Dreamland Magic_

_This magic field has only ever been theorised, seeing as it is only possible by Noble Family Magics in a case in which the founders and Merlin have an alliance. The research gathered provides only a basic understanding. While Occlumency creates a border around one's mind, dreamland magic allows you to be inside your mind space. This mind space is called a dreamscape. This magic is not only mind magic but soul magic as well. The dreamscape may form a space, in which you could entirely control the circumstances and whatever you wish to appear should instantly appear._

_In your dreamscape, you can organise or watch your memories, thoughts, and emotions. Because you are inside your mind, it has a unique trait in which you can never lie, and in which the full truth always shows. Any memories you could have attempted to lock away with Occlumency would show in your dreamscape._

_The magical person with Dreamland Magic can enter their own dreamscape when awake on demand and automatically enter when they fall asleep. It is theorised that this magical person could enter other people's dreamscapes while sleeping, although the method is entirely unknown._

_The one with Dreamland Magic should be able to create a family artefact which creates a shared dreamscape. Any person with access to one of these artefacts should allow the user to join the shared dreamscape when they sleep. Again, the method is entirely unknown._

_Unfortunately, as such an alliance has not been created, this fascinating magic field will forever remain a mystery._

A significant disadvantage Alora had figured out she had was time. Both Dumbledore and Voldemort had spent years upon years studying and practising magic, and both the Light and the Dark had existed for a very long time.

Now, _this_ was a great advantage. It was something only Alora could do. And although many things were currently unknown, she was sure she could figure it out while practising the new magic field. This was a significant step in evening out the time disadvantage, depending on how quickly or slowly time passed in her dreamscape.

After about an hour, Alora had finished reading the journal. Nothing was as impressive as the Dreamland magic, but she still needed to learn the other spells.

Alora had occasionally had visions of some Hogwarts classes in which she learned quite a few spell names. She had also retained many incantations for spells while seeing battles. But she had never known the theory behind any of the spells, and had of course, never done them herself. So, the journal was undoubtedly beneficial.

The alarm clock on Alora's bedside table read 9:34 PM. The day's activities had definitely proved to be exhausting. Alora changed into her plain nightdress and tucked in underneath the covers on her bed. Not very long afterwards, sleep overcame her.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Darkness.

Then colours and shapes.

Alora stood in a flurry of incoherent figures. Confused, she thought back to what she had just been doing. She had been sleeping...oh! This was her dreamscape? It was just a hurricane without any form.

When Alora recalled what she had read earlier, she remembered that whatever she thought of should happen or appear.

She took a step forward and found that she was now on solid ground. Alora then found herself wishing that the colours and shapes would just take a form that would make sense.

Alora was surprised when it actually worked. The colours and shapes fell to the ground where they formed a water-like substance into a stream. Alora still stood on solid ground, and she noticed it was completely smooth and slightly warm on her bare feet. The floor was in the shape of a relatively large circle. The stream flowed around the circle like a border.

Alora looked up and saw millions of stars speckled across a dark sky. The stars were bright enough to supply enough light to clearly see the floor and the stream.

Alora walked up to a section of the stream and kneeled. The stream was still jumbled in colours, but at least it now had a shape. She stuck her hand into a blueish part of the stream.

_The sound of water splashing dominated anything else. Dozens of children swam in neat lines across a pool. A girl with ash-brown hair swam in the lead, quickly and efficiently..._

Alora withdrew her hand. It was a memory of one of her many swimming practices. The stream was made of memories. But the memories were all tangled together, completely unorganised. She then realised that she would have to manually spend time organising her memories.

Right away, a small cobblestone bridge appeared in front of Alora, connecting the circle of floor to a new section. The new area was a long and narrow strip of land. On one side, an empty stream ran along a wall. The other side was open and empty.

Alora stepped across the bridge and placed her hand at the very start of the empty stream. When she recalled the first memory that she could remember, the memory flowed out of the mainstream and into the new one.

It took Alora several nights to organise her memories. When she finished, she now had two separate streams. The original stream now consisted only of raw emotions. And the stream across the cobblestone bridge carried only memories, organised chronologically. Recalling memories was difficult. But Alora had accomplished it a few times. She just had to stand in front of the memory stream and focus intently on a memory, recalling it in incredible detail. She would then find herself subconsciously moving to the memory until her hand was pointed directly at it.

After spending her first few nights in her dreamscape, she calculated the amount of time that passed. For every hour she slept in the real world, she spent fifteen minutes inside her dreamscape.

On the day that the incident at the park would have occurred, one week after having returned to privet drive, Alora rewarded herself with an attempt at something a bit more fun in her dreamscape. This time when she fell asleep, she stayed away from the emotion stream and memory stream.

Alora stood in the centre of the circle, her shoulders squared. She pictured her wand in her hand until she felt the wood actually resting there.

"Stupefy!"

Nothing happened. Alora tried again and again, with no success. So, she decided to try a new method.

Alora shut her eyes and imagined her magic flowing throughout her body. Because of the purity of her magic, she should be able to be incredibly in tune with the magic of the world.

A few moments of focus passed before she felt it. She concentrated hard on it flowing through her and then focused on the spell she wanted to cast. She took some of her magic and formed intent, intent to stun someone. She forced the intent to pool inside her, and then directed it to her wand. When it reached her hand, a bright red light shot out of her wand and effectively stunned the dummy that had appeared. Success!

Incantations and wand movements were useless if you couldn't form intent. The concentration on the magic flowing through her wasn't required to perform the spell with her wand; just the intent was enough.

But to cast the spell wandlessly, that was when the purity of her magic came in handy. It was then that she had to concentrate on her magic and focus on the intent pooling inside her. Instead of it shooting out her wand, she had to focus on guiding her magic to her hand, and then out the tips of her fingers. This was the reason why most wizards couldn't perform wandless magic. They simply weren't in tune enough with magic.

This was how Alora spent the next two weeks. During the day, she would draw up business plans after doing her chores, and at night she would train. Eventually, she mastered disillusionment, silencing charms, confundus, and of course, her stunner.

To get a feel for using spells in the real world, Alora practised around the house and on the Dursleys.

"What are you doing in my room? Get out!"

"Confundus."

"Oh okay, that's fine."

...

"Why haven't you unloaded the dishwasher as I asked you?"

"Confundus."

"Ah yes, I was about to do it myself."

...

The Dursleys obviously couldn't hear or see Alora when she crept along the hallways in the house. Nor could they explain the surprising amount of times they found themselves startled awake when they couldn't remember becoming unconscious in the first place.

The absolute hardest thing Alora learned was apparition. This took an entire week on its own, learning in her dreamscape and then practising during the day. Destination, Determination and Deliberation. Again. Destination, Determination and Deliberation. Although learning in her dreamscape was much easier than learning in the physical world, it still took everything she had to learn it.

After the third week of July had passed, she finally apparated across her bedroom. Alora couldn't help but let out a loud and happy cheer.

The afternoon after her success, she decided she was ready to finally leave. She grabbed only her absolute favourite outfits and stuffed them inside the bag she would take with her. She opened the topmost drawer in her bedside table, and completely emptied her piggy bank. She counted out £95.16. After she placed her journal inside as well and tucked her wand into her pocket, there was only one thing left to do.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Alora bounded down the stairs and approached the Dursleys. They were sitting at the dining table. Uncle Vernon and Dudley both shoved spoonfuls of ice cream into their mouths, and Aunt Petunia read a magazine.

"Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon," Alora called out when she reached the table. She pulled out the fourth chair and sat down.

Aunt Petunia set down her magazine. "Yes, Alora?"

"I have a deal to make. One with you and Uncle Vernon."

Uncle Vernon dropped his spoon at this. "You! A deal?!"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon."

"Well, out with it. What sort of deal do you think I'd make with a mere child?"

"I know you both dislike having me here. I know I am an inconvenience, and I know you both hate having to spent money on my food, clothing, and education."

"Of course," Uncle Vernon said. "And?"

"You give me money, right now, and I leave today. Permanently. You would never have to spend another pound on me after this."

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked at each other for a while.

"And would _they_ find out? If you left," asked Aunt Petunia quietly.

"No. They wouldn't bother you about it unless you told them, of course," Alora responded.

"We wouldn't tell them," Aunt Petunia said.

Alora looked over at Uncle Vernon. "Do you agree?"

Uncle Vernon pondered this for a moment, before asking, "How much do you want?"

"£750."

Aunt Petunia's mouth sprang open, but Uncle Vernon responded first.

"We'll take it. But we will never spend anything else on you."

Aunt Petunia didn't look convinced and asked Uncle Vernon, "Are you sure, Vernon?"

"As long as this is it, then it's a good deal," Uncle Vernon responded.

Alora internally smiled. It was going to work. Uncle Vernon got up from the table and returned with his wallet. He counted out the £750 and handed it to Alora. Alora took it and tucked it in her bag along with her own personal money. Alora supposed she could have asked for more, but then she would have run the risk of them not accepting.

Alora took one final glance around the place she had lived in for six years. She glanced at Dudley, who had a look of indifference on his face. She then looked at Uncle Vernon, who was almost beaming with excitement. Her eyes finally landed on Aunt Petunia, who looked as though she couldn't decide between being upset and being delighted. She settled for looking relieved.

Aunt Petunia asked Alora, "When do you leave?"

Alora smirked. "Now."

She whipped her wand out of her pocket and promptly apparated straight out of the house with a loud crack.

Alora began her adventure out in the real world with the image of three terrified and aghast faces imprinted into her mind. That would be one hard memory to forget.


	5. Muggle London

Alora silently followed a tall man. When the man reached the glass door, Alora pressed up a mere inch behind him. He entered through the door, and Alora quickly darted out of the way before the door shut behind her. It wouldn't do for muggles to see a door opening by itself, after all.

The inside of the Grocer's shop Alora now stood in wasn't very large, but it would do for what Alora needed. She was still pretty close to Little Whinging, Surrey, as she didn't want to tire herself out from apparition.

Alora walked past a few tall isles, surveying its contents. Cereal boxes, snacks, water bottles, and much more were all tightly packed into shelves. Several muggles pushed carts along the same isles, grabbing all sorts of food items.

Alora spotted the brightly coloured fruit section and made her way over. In one of the boxes near the front, bunches of bananas lay atop each other. Alora brought the tip of her wand to one pack of bananas and disillusioned them. She could now safely grab them. She placed the five bananas inside her jumper's pocket and continued along. When Alora found the jars of honey, she took it in the same manner.

Now Alora stood in front of a wines selection; the last item she needed to pick up here. She read the many titles until she found a section of red wines. Alora glanced over the price tags and disillusioned the cheapest bottle of red wine she saw.

Alora felt slightly guilty as she exited the shop; this time, pressed tightly behind an older woman. But there was no way she could pay for those items looking as young as she did.

There. Alora now had half of the ingredients for the Ageing Potion, and it hadn't been hard at all. The other components were going to be quite a bit harder to collect. She opened her bag and placed the groceries inside, then closed it.

Alora looked around the secluded back alley she had entered and upon not seeing anyone, apparated away.

The sun had reached the highest point in the sky by the time Alora found herself in a more populated town. She had just spent a few pounds, securing a ticket to the local zoo. The lines were too packed to sneak in, and the security was on a more intense side.

The inside of the zoo was spacious; it held many unique enclosings for different animals. A birthday party appeared to be happening in one section, where children were being ushered into a separate room all clutching nicely wrapped gifts. Adult couples guided their children from sight to sight. A few toddlers were running about, having apparently lost their parents.

The map Alora held in her hand showed that the butterfly section was just up ahead. She joined a group of fellow tourists and entered through a metal door to the butterfly enclosing. Hundreds of brightly coloured butterflies, from blue to pink to green to yellow, roamed through the air. But Alora wasn't looking up at the butterflies. Instead, she looked down at the grounds, trying to spot the next ingredient in the potion.

She finally found what she was looking for and inched closer. A clutter of caterpillars lazily moved along the dirt. Alora checked to make sure no one paid close attention to her before she reached her arm out and let the tip of her wand poke out of her sleeve. After disillusioning five caterpillars, she carefully levitated them into an already disillusioned plastic bag she had grabbed from her bag. She tucked the plastic bag into her jumper's pocket. After getting checked to make sure no butterflies had attached themselves to her, Alora left the butterfly enclosing and studied her map again.

After following the map for several minutes, she approached what should be the reptile section. Alora looked up from the map and spotted a sign pointing to the reptiles. From there, it wasn't hard to locate the snakes.

But as Alora got closer to the snakes, she was in for quite the surprise. She had never seen a snake up close before. But she was sure that they were supposed to hiss, not speak.

She approached a snake off to the side, which was enclosed with glass. All the other excited children were a bit afar. It was green and black, and around five feet long. A matching five-foot-long skin lay closeby.

_"Stupid humansss...another idiot child..."_

Alora jerked back an inch. The snake had spoken, and she could understand it! From the visions Alora had seen from Voldemort's snake horcrux, Nagini, she understood that Voldemort could talk to snakes. Parseltongue. A trait that had been passed hereditarily all the way from Salazar Slytherin.

The trait was seen as evil and unwanted. It made sense, considering that Slytherins were seen as cruel. And it sure didn't help that the Dark Lord was the only known living Parseltongue speaker.

Trying not to get ahead of herself, Alora decided to test it out.

_"Hello? Can you understand me?"_

The green and black snake stopped for a moment, then turned to gaze straight at Alora.

" _A sspeaker! A ssstory passssed down through generationsss, so few sssnakess have had the honour..._ "

So she was a Parseltongue. But she was almost certain that she wasn't descended from Salazar Slytherin. Her mother was muggleborn, and the Potter family had all been Gryffindors for ages. There was only one reason which could explain it; the dark soul inside her. Getting over her surprise at the fact that she was able to use some of the Dark Lord's powers through the fragment of his soul, Alora asked the snake, _"Do you mind if I take your shed skin?"_

_"Not at all, ssspeaker. You can take it all..."_

_"Okay, just don't move please."_

Alora let her wand once again poke out of her sleeve. She concentrated hard on the magic flowing through her, and she formed a more complicated intent. She willed her magic to vanish the glass enclosing and shoved the intent until it shot out of her wand.

A hole in the glass appeared, just big enough for Alora to fit her hand through. Glancing around her once again, she made sure no one was watching. She quickly disillusioned herself and then stuck her hand through the hole and grabbed the five-foot-long skin and disillusioned it as well. After extracting her hand, she added the skin to the caterpillars in her plastic bag.

She cast a silencing charm around her and then focused intently on repairing the glass. The glass morphed to fill back the hole that was previously there.

 _"Goodbye,"_ Alora hissed at the snake.

_"Goodbye, ssspeaker..."_

Alora apparated out of the zoo, with the loud crack muffled by the silencing charm.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Honey yellows and crimson reds blended in the late afternoon sky, casting much softer sunlight onto the forest grounds. The faint rustling of leaves and occasional soft tweets from various birds created a tranquil environment, perfect for potion brewing.

An empty cauldron lay in one of the many shadows cast by the tall trees, and an assortment of ingredients lay beside it. The cauldron had been a bit difficult to find. Alora was deliberately avoiding Diagon Alley, for fear of people later remembering her being in the magical world. And a little child, unaccompanied, buying strange ingredients would raise several suspicions.

So Alora had settled for searching through shops until she found an old costume shop. The cauldron had been buried between pointed witch hats and eyeball candies. It wasn't a proper cauldron, of course, but it was made mostly of iron, so it would have to do. It was only thirty centimetres long, wide, and tall.

Alora sat in front of the empty cauldron and took the journal out of her bag once more. The instructions for the Ageing Potion in the journal were slightly different from the regular instructions taught in the sixth-year potions class. With the standard recipe, the amount you drank determines the amount you age, and it always wore off after one hour. With this recipe, however, the amount of snakeskin you add to the formula determines the number of years you age, and the amount you drink determines the duration of the potion. It was much more convenient that way. She flipped to the final pages and began to read.

_Ageing Potion_

_Ingredients: Red Wine (100 mL), Honey (10 mL), Banana (12 cm, mashed), Asphodel Root (12 cm, powdered), Caterpillar (12 cm, sliced), Snakeskin (1cm per year to age, diced)_

"Incendio," Alora said, and the cauldron began to heat.

Carefully following the instructions, Alora added the red wine and honey to the cauldron, allowing it to heat. She stirred it clockwise until she saw bubbles just starting to form. The mixture was maroon, perfectly matching the recipe. Alora immediately added the already powdered asphodel root she had found in this section of the forest. Then she stirred it clockwise for ten minutes until the mixture faded to a lighter pink. She added the mashed banana and continued to stir for eight more minutes.

When the potion looked a creamy pink, she removed the cauldron from the heat and added the sliced caterpillar, and twenty diced centimetres of Snakeskin. Ageing twenty years would give her the appearance of a twenty-seven year old, certainly old enough not to be questioned, yet young enough for her desired audience.

Alora had to keep fighting the urge to let her thoughts drift as she continued stirring the cooling potion. After about twenty minutes, she finally stopped stirring and smiled as the brew looked a milky white just as described.

Because Alora had made four times the amount in the recipe, she now had enough potion for one hundred hours of being an adult. It would have to be enough until she could either make or purchase more.

She scooped the potion into glass vials she had also taken from the old costume shop. She decided to leave her cauldron and the leftover materials in the same spot. She didn't have anywhere to store it, and she could always hope it would still be there if she needed to return.

Alora took one sip out of a glass vial before depositing the rest into her bag. It would allow her to maintain an adult appearance for one hour.

Alora felt her body shift and change as a strange feeling overcame her. The trees didn't look as tall anymore.

Her adult body closely matched the seventeen-year-old body Alora had grown into back in prison, so it didn't feel bizarre.

Now, Alora could start her muggle business. Just not in the middle of a dark forest.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Alora chain apparated all the way to London and checked herself into a muggle hotel. She ignored the receptionist's look when he noticed the only belongings she carried was the bag on her shoulder and made her way to room 203.

After inserting the room key, Alora pushed open the room's door. She had been looking for a hotel on the cheaper side, so she wasn't expecting much at all. Still, the soft white covers of the decently sized bed looked intriguing.

She placed her white bag on the single bedside table and looked through to make sure she still had all her belongings: a few muggle child outfits, less than one thousand pounds, several vials of the milky white potion, and her journal. She left her bag open and walked over to the room's single window. It didn't have much of a view at all; she could only see the windows of other rooms from the other hotel section.

Alora pulled down the curtains to cover the window. She changed out of her jumper and trousers before pulling on her simple nightdress and slipping under the covers. Although Alora was thoroughly worn out, instead of allowing her mind to join her body in sleep, she visited her dreamscape. She couldn't keep paying £50 a night for very long, not when she didn't have any income. But she had a plan.

Back in the familiar circle surrounded by the stream in her dreamscape, Alora willed a desk to appear. Once it did, Alora took a seat and reached for the pen and notebook that had also appeared.

Although any material things she created would be lost as soon as she returned to the real world, Alora would still remember what she had written.

Her plan was relatively simple. In downtown London, not far from the hotel she was staying at, a coffee shop had just gone out of business. In Alora's future, a woman had rented out the shop and opened a clothing store. The shop had been quite successful. Alora knew the retailers the woman had bought her clothing from, and several other details of how she had run her shop.

She knew all of this because the woman who owned the shop was a squib. The squib had been targetted and attacked by Lord Voldemort, who was searching for information the woman had. The Dark Lord had used legilimency to view her memories, and Alora had seen the memories as well.

All Alora would do is obtain the legal documents required to rent out the shop and open her business, which she would fill out with a fake muggle persona she had well thought out. A few confundus charms could always help. Then, Alora would go down to the retailers and purchase the items she knew had sold well, design her shop with a bit of magical help, then open for business with herself as the only worker.

With her plan written out, she vanished her desk away. She spent the rest of the night practising levitation, sticking, and colour changing charms to use on her shop.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Two weeks had passed since Alora had first arrived in London. Alora's days had been filled with productivity, and her nights had been filled with magical training. After she had learned the fundamental appearance altering charms, she had begun to practice mind arts. Alora's plan had gone through rather nicely, and she had opened her shop ten days ago. She now had full legal identification as one Lorelei Winters, who looked exactly like the older version of Alora but with blonde hair and blue eyes.

It was currently 8 am, one hour before her shop would open. Alora walked briskly down the pavement until she spotted the familiar sign, _Rory's Apparel._ She took her key out of her pocket and unlocked the door before pushing it open.

Mannequins lined the glass windows, displaying her favourite outfits to all passersby. The shop was a rectangular shape, with racks filling each of the four walls and low tables scattered amongst the centre. The racks displayed summer dresses, tops, and jumpers while the low tables held trousers, skirts, and accessories. Alora had deliberately designed the shop to have an open modern feel. Therefore the walls were all white, and the tables were a light wooden colour, as was the cashier in the back most of the shop.

Alora had struck an outstanding deal with the retailers (confundus charms) and obtained all the clothing for a low price. She had bought it in bulk and had only had to pay a quarter of the cost when she first delivered the clothes to her shop. Just yesterday, she paid all the rest and purchased another bulk of clothing.

Just as Alora had anticipated, her shop had attracted many customers. Carnaby Street had a constant flow of traffic, and Rory's Apparel had an intriguing front.

What Alora hadn't expected, but gladly accepted anyway, was for a woman fresh out of college to directly ask about any employment openings. Alora knew she couldn't spend much more time in the shop, and so she had provided an interview and decided that young Gemma was perfect for the job. She was very energetic and had done very well in school and college. Gemma was recently married and living in London, and looking for a simple but entertaining job closeby to her home. Although Alora wasn't skilled at all yet in the mind arts, a simple probe revealed Gemma's intentions to be honest. Alora offered her the job and an excellent salary, and Gemma readily accepted.

Alora would now only have to occasionally visit the retailers to purchase new items, deliver them to the shop, and take care of any legal things such as filing taxes. Alora anticipated a high income for the relatively minimal work she was putting into her business.

Alora projected making an income of £45,000 the first year, £60,000 the second year, and then £75,000 every year afterwards. That meant that before she went to Hogwarts, she would have made £180,000. This would definitely be enough finance to provide for everything she needed. Her way of income would be steady, remain a complete mystery, and be entirely unaffected by anything occurring in the wizarding world.

Alora had a few one-off ideas to earn several galleons for once she arrived at Hogwarts. To purchase the pricey things such as a manor and house-elves, Alora would have to rely a bit on the one-off ideas. But she wasn't in any rush for either of those things.

Alora had just checked out of the hotel this morning. She had more than remade the original money she had invested and now carried £1056.32 loosely in her bag.

A trip to Gringotts was in store for today. She'd need to set up her bank account, and of course, she'd need a new place to stay in—one in the wizarding world where she would have her main office and all her belongings.

The little bell to alert Alora to costumers rang and Alora looked up to see Gemma's shining blue eyes as she walked up to Alora.

"Hello, Lorelei," Gemma greeted.

"Hey, Gemma," Alora said. "I will be leaving now that you are here, was there anything else you wanted to mention?"

"Nope, I am all good. I will see you this Sunday, then?"

"Yes, you will. Have a great day."

"You too!" Gemma turned away from Alora and made her way to the storeroom in the back, presumably to bring out the new items into the shop.

Alora walked out of Rory's Apparel with a noticeable spring in her step. As much as she loved muggle London, she could hardly contain her excitement to leave it. She walked straight up to where she knew the Leaky Cauldron was and grinned when she saw it. After all these years, Alora was finally entering the wizarding world—her birthright, that no one would be able to take from her this time.


	6. Diagon Alley

The several people who walked by Alora didn't notice the pub. In fact, their eyes seemed to bounce from the big book shop to the record shop on either side of the Leaky Cauldron. Alora could now safely enter Diagon Alley without the fear of recognition, as she was in her Lorelei Winters persona. Taking in a deep breath, Alora entered the pub.

The inside of the pub was dark and a bit shabby. A few costumers loitered about, conversing and drinking. Tom, the bartender, was serving an older man when he looked up to inspect the new costumer.

Alora ignored several glances and walked straight through the pub with a confident stride to avoid any conversations. When she reached the small, walled courtyard, she pulled out her wand. Alora counted three bricks up and two bricks across, then tapped it three times with the tip of her wand.

The brick wriggled before it swerved aside along with the surrounding bricks. Once the hole was large enough, Alora stepped through. Shops upon shops lined the cobblestone street. Brightly coloured signs exclaimed each shop's contents.

Alora desperately tried not to look like she was a muggleborn in the wizarding world for the first time, as it wouldn't suit her adult appearance. But, she found it incredibly hard not to stare in wonder at all the magical items— broomsticks, robes, trunks, magical pets, quills and ink, books, odd-looking plants and magical creature parts...

Alora kept her pace somewhat brisk and confident as she continued down Diagon Alley. It wasn't hard to find her target; the snowy white building towered over all the little shops.

The imposing marble building was the only bank of the wizarding world—Gringotts. Alora reached the white stairs at it's front, and she climbed up to the set of burnished bronze doors. She nodded at the goblin in a uniform of scarlet and gold as she entered through the doorway.

Alora stood in a vast marble hall with long counters stretching along its length. Several hundred goblins sat at the counters, behind of which many doors lead off to rooms and vaults.

She looked around before spotting a goblin which appeared to be unoccupied. Alora walked up to the goblin and called his attention.

"Good morning. I am here to open a vault for the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Emrys, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

The goblin blinked. Then an expression of disbelief crossed his face. "There is no lord or ladyship for those lines," he drawled.

Alora lifted her hand and placed it on top of the counter. When she willed her ring to appear, it showed the five emblems of each of the houses she claimed. All suspicion vanished from the goblin at that. With a single raised eyebrow, he said, "Follow me then."

The goblin left his seat and turned around to face one of the many doors along the hall. Alora followed him. They walked down several hallways before stopping at another door. On it, a sign read "Bogkras". The goblin pushed open the door and spoke a few words in Gobbledegook before quickly vanishing off down another hallway.

Alora entered the well-polished room. A goblin—who she assumed to be Bogkras—sat at a desk facing two empty chairs. The goblin flashed her a toothy grin, which looked far more intimidating than welcoming.

"I am Bogkras, the Head of Gringotts. Take a seat."

The Head of Gringotts managed all the other goblins, who are all split into clans. The Head is a king of sorts and distributes all the vaults and costumers to his workers.

Alora sat down in one of the chairs and spoke to Bogkras, "Head Bogkras, pleased to meet you. I am Alora Potter."

Goblins were usually not treated with much respect. Purebloods looked down at them with disdain, half-bloods ignored them, and muggleborns and their parents fail horribly at attempting to be respectful. The best way to get what you want with goblins is to be respectful and direct.

"My fellow worker tells me you claim to be the lady of five well-known houses."

"That is correct."

"Then you will not mind me checking your identity to be sure."

"No, I do not."

Bogkras pointed to a strange silver instrument which looked like a tube on his desk. He instructed Alora to place her finger over the top. The instrument drew a drop of blood from Alora, and the drop slid down the tube. Small parts of the instrument bounced into motion until the drop slid to the bottom and landed on the top of a parchment pile. Bogkras snatched the piece of parchment it fell on and began to read. After a few seconds, he placed down the parchment and turned it so Alora could read it.

_ Alora Iris Potter _

_ Lady of Houses Emrys, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin _

_ Second in-line for the heiress of House Potter _

_ Mother - Lily Jenna Potter née Evans _

_ Father - James Fleamount Potter _

"You see then; I am the lady of all five houses."

Bogkras was frozen in shock for a moment before he recomposed himself.

"How did you come by these ladyships?" the goblin asked.

"That is a family secret. It was completely legal and has no further importance."

"If you say so... Very well. All five houses do not have any vaults in Gringotts as the lines died out before Gringotts was created. You may open a personal vault."

"Yes, I would like to create a personal vault. I expect maximum security. I would also like to be assured as to the privacy of my identity."

" _ Fortius Quo Fidelius, s _ trength through loyalty. We are loyal to our clients only. I will set up a personal vault immediately, and I will be your account manager until further notice."

Alora was a tad surprised at that; it was well known that the Head Goblin rarely took on any accounts. "Thank you. I need to get this muggle money exchanged, and I will leave some for my starting funds." Alora pulled out her stack of muggle money and handed it to the goblin.

Bogkras took it and counted it out. He waved a hand over a box on his desk, next to the silver instrument, and the cover slid open. Alora watched him place the muggle money inside the box and then it vanished. A stack of wizarding money appeared in its place.

"1056.32 muggle pounds. The current exchange rate is one Galleon per thirty-five pounds, one Sickle per two pounds, and one Knut per sixpence," Bogkras said. He pushed the box in front of Alora. "At that rate, you have thirty Galleons, three Sickles, and five Knuts."

"Okay. I have one other business inquiry."

"Yes?"

"What are the prices for renting an apartment in Hogsmeade?"

The goblin nodded and then pulled out a piece of parchment from one of his desk drawers. He rolled it out on top of the desk to reveal a highly detailed magical map of Hogsmeade and its apartment buildings.

"These here are the lower-priced apartment buildings with vacancies," Bogkras said, pointing at a few buildings on the map.

"What about a single-bedroom small flat?" Alora asked.

"Then I would go with this building here. Salamith's Apartment Building. Not far from the High Street with all the popular shops." The goblin pressed down on the image of the building and a second map appeared over it. Bogkras pushed the original map aside and opened the second map. It showed all the open flats in Salamith's Apartments.

Alora looked over the flats and selected one of the smallest. One bedroom and bath, and a small living room with a kitchenette. The stated price was seventeen galleons a month, or about £600. Alora would be tight on money, but with her monthly income of £3,750 this year it wouldn't last long.

"How much is your basic coin pouch?"

"One Galleon. It has an undetectable extension charm, and will hold up to one hundred galleons."

"I will take it then." Bogkras handed Alora a plain grey pouch, and Alora scooped up twelve Galleons, three Sickles, and five Knuts into the pouch. She left behind just enough for the first month of rent and the pouch. "I will return before the month is up to replenish my vault."

"Very well, I hope you do so for your own sake. Is there anything else?"

Alora stood from her chair and slightly tilted her head at the goblin. "That is all, Head Bogkras. May your vaults flourish with gold."

If the goblin was surprised at the use of the goblin phrase, he didn't show it. "And may your enemies fall to your blade."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Alora had spent two galleons on purchasing eight silver bracelets in a shop just down Diagon Alley. Each bracelet had a complicated charm; you can only see the bracelet if you wear one yourself. Alora planned to spend time working on these bracelets to create the family artefacts that Merlin's journal spoke about—the shared dreamscape. Alora planned on only needing seven, but an extra would be handy.

Alora now stood in front of the final shop she would have enough gold to shop at today. Twilfitt and Tattings, where well-established families bought their clothing.

Witches and wizards have different attire from muggles. Wizards wore closed robes or slacks and dress shirts, regularly with open robes, but if not then with a formal jacket. Witches also wore closed robes or blouses, cardigans, skirts, and slacks regularly with cloaks.

Formal event fashion consisted of dresses and cloaks, or robe-like tuxedos and suits.

Most purebloods frown upon muggle attire: jumpers, jerseys, jeans, t-shirts. Seeing a magical person with muggle clothing was a telltale sign of either a muggleborn or a blood traitor. All Alora would be purchasing today is a set of custom robes, fit for a pureblood lady.

Alora entered the shop. The inside was littered with fabrics and designs pasted upon mannequins. The worker of the shop came over immediately, as Alora was the only customer inside.

The lady gave her muggle outfit a critical eye and a bit of a sour expression but didn't comment on it.

"Good morning," she said. "How can I help you today?"

"I would like to purchase a set of custom robes."

"Alright then, you may go over and look through and choose a fabric. Then you need to select a pattern, and you can change any part of the design with me."

Alora chose a silky fabric for both robes, one in an ink-black and one in a cloud-grey. After she was measured and had tried on several pieces, she chose a fully closed pattern which tightly hugged her at the waist and then flowed elegantly. The robe fit like a high-end formal long-sleeve dress. 

Alora chose to create a custom design with black sparkles for the ink robe and silver sparkles for the cloud robe in diagonal lines across her chest.

The store worker seemed quite impressed with Alora's selection, and that was saying something seeing as Narcissa Malfoy was a regular customer. After paying ten galleons, effectively clearing the last of the gold coins from her pouch, she set off.

With two hours to kill before the robes would be ready, Alora walked back down the cobblestone street to a line of fireplaces in the centre of Diagon Alley. Each fireplace was connected to the floo network and was used to enter and exit Diagon Alley.

Once a muggle residence is registered, or a wizarding place is purchased with the goblins, the ministry is contacted to file the appropriate paperwork. The floo network is then immediately set up if the location has a fireplace. 

Although Alora could apparate, it would take a while to chain apparate all the way to Hogsmeade and would be magically exhausting. It was much more preferable to enter directly into her flat.

Alora paid a knut before she grabbed a small handful of floo powder. She threw the powder into the fireplace and walked into the flaring green flames. "Flat 203, Salamith's Apartments!"

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

A small boy roamed the aisles of Flourish and Blotts, collecting each of the school books for his first year at Hogwarts. He dropped the final book, "Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling," into his basket. "Father, I'm finished," he called down the aisle.

It was still only the start of the second week of August, but Hugo Rivers and his father Dominic Rivers wanted to purchase school supplies before the large crowd came.

Dominic turned at his son's call and guided him to the cashier to purchase his books. Dominic was finding it difficult to keep his mind on the task at hand; his mind kept drifting to the state of the political world.

Dominic Rivers was the Lord of The Most Ancient and Noble House of Rivers and therefore bore an enormous responsibility. The Light and Dark factions of the Wizengamot have been at each other ever since the end of the First Wizarding War. Dominic was the leader of the unofficially named Neutrals. The leader of a faction that was falling.

The Wizengamot was currently a seesaw. The Light on one end, and the Dark on the other. The Neutrals stood on top of the seesaw's centre, shifting weight from side to side depending on which needed it most. But now, the Neutrals were falling to the Dark, and the seesaw would soon become unbalanced. It would not be long before all the pureblood supremacists had their laws passed.

Hugo was chatting away excitedly about Hogwarts as they walked passed the shops on Diagon Alley. When they approached the well-known Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, Dominic interrupted Hugo.

"Hugo, I want you to go into the ice cream parlour to meet your mother and sisters. Let them know that I will meet them back at the Manor."

"Okay, Father! And thanks again for the stuff you bought me," Hugo said, beaming up at Dominic.

"Of course, son."

Hugo walked quickly down the cobblestone street, and when Dominic saw that he had entered the shop, he turned around and started back up the road. Dominic planned to perhaps go down to the Leaky Cauldron for a quick drink and time alone before heading back to his manor. He hadn't planned to run into a witch he had never seen before.

"Lord Rivers, of The Most Ancient and Noble House of Rivers?" A voice started.

Dominic turned to the voice's direction and found a tall and lean witch standing to his side. Her face was hooded and hidden from view. "Yes?"

"I have a few matters to discuss with you, and was hoping we could converse sometime," the witch said.

Dominic's instinct screamed at him to deny the witch and continue on his way, but something about her intrigued him. Just then, the witch raised her hand into clear view. Dominic blinked when he saw the ladyship ring materialize. It shouldn't be possible. But ladyship rings are impossible to recreate, and they never lie.

"How?" he asked, gazing at the ring. Only then did he look up and actually study the witch. She wore a cloud grey robe embellished with elegant sparkles across the top. The way she held herself established evident power and authority.

"That is a family secret."

Dominic remembered the request the witch had made, and then he asked, "What matters do you have to discuss with me?"

The witch replied, "I know of the Neutrals delicate position in the Wizengamot. I believe I hold the key to establishing a stronger faction."

A witch holding five ladyships—and not just any ladyships, mind you, but the most widely known houses—would undoubtedly be able to help the Neutrals. And Dominic was a bit desperate at this point.

"What about three o'clock this Monday, at my home, would that work for you? My wife will be present also," he suggested.

"That works just fine, Lord Rivers. I will see you then."

Before Dominic could get another word in, the witch had turned around and disappeared into a group of wizards. Dominic could only hope that the witch had the Neutral's best interests in mind.

She could be the key to the success of the wizarding world— or the bringer of its downfall and despair.


	7. Rivers Manor

* * *

Early afternoon sunlight swept through Flat 203, Salamith's Apartments. The flat was as small as expected. However, it felt airy and open since the few furnishings were all in light and neutral colours. Alora sat at a white desk pressed against a window in the main room of her flat.

Alora had settled in comfortably in new housing. An assortment of papers laid on the table next to the seats in the living space behind the desk. The fridge and cabinets in the kitchenette on the large windows' opposite wall held her favourite muggle groceries. Her few muggle clothes and wizarding robes hung in a small closet in the bedroom. All her toiletries were stored in a drawer underneath the small bathroom sink.

Alora slid a marker into the book she was reading before closing it. It was Monday, the day she would be meeting Lord Rivers. Hopefully, she could plant a few ideas, and perhaps establish an alliance of sorts.

After taking a shower and changing into her cloud grey robe, Alora stood in front of the bathroom's mirror and took one sip of the Ageing Potion. As Alora aged twenty years, her robe grew with her, perfectly adapting to her older body. She threw floo powder into the fireplace back in the main room and called out, "Rivers Manor!"

Alora felt the sensation resembling being sucked down a giant drain, and she felt as though she were spinning and all she could hear was the thunderous roar of being teleported through space. When it suddenly stopped, Alora quickly caught herself to avoid falling. She brushed the soot off her robes and looked up to meet the faces of Lord and Lady Rivers.

The location of the meeting Dominic had planned was a sort of test, in a way. The floo network allowed anyone to enter any public place. But for residences, the floo network generally only let you in if you meant no harm to the inhabitants, and if you have permission. So Dominic was glad that the witch had passed without any problems.

Dominic was a bit surprised upon seeing the witch's bright ocean green eyes and ash-brown locks. He had assumed she would be much older, but she didn't even look thirty. His wife, Cassandra, had been quite shocked when she was told they only had a few days to prepare for a meeting with a great witch.

Dominic composed himself and said, "Good afternoon, Lady..."

"Lady Emrys will do, anything more would be a bit of a mouthful," the witch said with a smile. "Good to see you again, Lord Rivers. A pleasure to meet you, Lady Rivers."

"And you, Lady Emrys," Cassandra replied. Cassandra was quite intimidated by the witch. She was stunning and held perfect poise. She looked exactly like the ideal pureblood lady every house dreamed of making. Cassandra didn't let her emotions show, however. "Should we take this conversation to the drawing room?"

"That would be great," the witch said.

Alora carefully hid her wonder at the beautiful entrance hall. The Rivers Manor was known as one of the greatest manors, on par with the Malfoy, Potter, and Black manors. Alora followed Lord and Lady Rivers across the hall and to the drawing room.

The drawing room was mostly lit by large windows, each with a view of the gardens below. Alora sat across Lord and Lady Rivers on a leather couch when gestured to.

"You have a beautiful home," Alora said.

"Thank you," Lord Rivers replied.

"We are delighted to have you here," Lady Rivers said.

There was a brief moment of silence in which Alora looked between the two sitting across her. She knew exactly what she needed out of this meeting; she just had to say it correctly.

"So," Lord Rivers started, "You were interested in the Neutrals? A negotiation, or agreement perhaps?"

"Well, the reason I requested this meeting with you is that I believe we have common political opinions."

Lord Rivers looked intrigued at this, and he asked, "Oh? And what are those?"

"I am strongly against both the Light and the Dark. I aim to keep the world from bigotry and violence just as much as I aim to keep us from a tyrannical government."

This was marvellous news to Dominic. He imagined that Lady Emrys could have easily aligned herself with the Dark due to her Slytherin line or with the Light due to her Gryffindor line. To have her align with the Neutrals, well, maybe then the Neutrals could be saved.

"We do share our political views," Dominic acknowledged. "You are Neutral, then?"

"No," Lady Emrys bluntly said.

"You are not?" Cassandra confusedly repeated.

"That is correct. I am not Neutral. Neutrality suggests that you are neither helping nor attacking either side in this political fight. In other words, it suggests impartiality. How can you ever expect to stay strong, to achieve anything if you do not take action?"

Dominic blinked. "We are only trying to keep either side from winning," he said, even as his mind automatically began to ponder the issues with his position.

"But that has clearly not worked well. To truly keep both the Light and the Dark at bay, we need goals. We need something to work towards. We need to take action instead of remaining neutral."

Dominic and Cassandra thought over her words for a few moments. She had a point... The Neutrals were now unable to keep the seesaw balanced. But if they could alter the Wizengamot from a teetering seesaw to a three-way fight, assuming they could have a stable stance, then it would keep the world from falling to the Dark or the Light.

Dominic looked over and found his wife's eyes full of agreement. Dominic turned back to Lady Emrys. "I see your point. And it's true that at this rate we will likely collapse. But, such a strong movement depends highly on you. We have never seen you before—well...who are you?"

Yes! This was precisely what Alora had been hoping for. Alora knew that Lord Rivers was an honest and open-minded man. And now he was willing to listen to Alora's ideas after she had pointed out a fault. After what she would reveal to them, they would only become firmer on her side. Alora would be keeping some things to herself, that's for sure, but now it was safe to share her identity.

"It is a bit of a long story, and you may not believe it unless you see it for yourselves. Could we use your Pensieve?"

Pensieves were scarce items. All the current ones had been passed down for centuries due to no one being able to recreate one. Only ten were known to exist in Magical Britain, one at Hogwarts, two in a shop in Diagon Alley, and the other seven in various old families. One being the Rivers.

Lord Rivers agreed, and both he and his wife stood up. Lord Rivers made his way over to a cabinet and pulled the Pensieve out from inside. He brought it over and placed it on a table next to the couches. 

Alora stood and walked up to stand in front of the Pensieve. She took her wand out from inside her sleeve and touched the tip to her temple. She brought the memories she wanted to share to the front of her mind and then extracted a copy of the memories with her wand. She placed the memories inside the metal basin, where they formed a silvery substance.

Alora stepped slightly to the side to look at Lord and Lady Rivers. "Go ahead," she said. "These are memories from when I was very young, and it will explain who I am."

Lord Rivers nodded and then reached out to touch the substance. He disappeared in a flash, as did Lady Rivers when she immediately followed him into Alora's memories.

Alora sat back onto the leather couch. Inside the basin, she had placed a few visions, passing them off as just early memories. The first was of Lily and James Potter holding their twin babies, one where they mention both of their names. The second memory she included was when Voldemort attacked Godric's Hollow, ensuring she showed both Voldemort choosing Alora and Dumbledore locking her magic away— declaring Jaxon the Boy-Who-Lived. The third and final memory she included was the Potters abandoning her to the muggle world.

A few minutes later, Lord and Lady Rivers both emerged from Alora's memories. It was plainly evident to Alora that they were  _ shocked _ .

Lord Rivers opened and closed his mouth a few times, disbelief evident on his face until Lady Rivers broke the silence. "So...the Potters had  _ twins _ , you're the twin of  _ Jaxon Potter _ ," Lady Rivers began, physically pulling herself together.

"Who  _ isn't _ even the Boy-Who-Lived, because You-Know-Who attacked  _ you _ that night, not Jaxon," Lord Rivers continued.

"That's exactly correct," Alora said, as Lord and Lady Rivers made their way back to the leather couch across Alora.

After they were seated, Lord Rivers said, "So you are the one who vanquished him... and Dumbledore knew... what exactly did he do? Why did he call your twin the vanquisher?"

A glint of anger flashed in Alora's eyes for the briefest of moments before she explained, "The spell you saw Dumbledore cast on me, it was a magical core-binding spell."

"What!? Why? Taking away someone's magic... that's just the worst thing one can do," Lady Rivers looked absolutely appaled at this. Abandoning squibs was one thing, but turning someone into a squib was a whole other level.

Lord Rivers looked equally appaled at this and said, "But why?" He paused. "Surely he must have had  _ some _ reasoning," he added carefully.

Alora sighed and asked, "Do you know why Voldemort attacked us in the first place?" They both slightly flinched at the name.

"Not really... we just assumed it was because the Potters were resisting You-Know-Who," Lord Rivers said.

Alora leaned back in the couch before beginning the explanation. "It was because of a prophecy. A prophecy made to Albus Dumbledore, which one of Voldemort's Death Eaters happened to overhear. It spoke of a child born at the end of July who would have the power to defeat Voldemort. It said that he would mark them as his equal, and that either the child would kill Voldemort, or that Voldemort would kill the child.

"When Dumbledore overheard the prophecy, he sent my family into hiding for protection, along with the Longbottoms—the two families the prophecy could be referring to. But he also made a decision—quite a foolish one at that.

"He decided that whomever the prophecy referred to, whoever would match Voldemort as an equal, that they would be too powerful. So when he found out that I was the child of the prophecy, he made sure that I couldn't become powerful. He made sure that I would be helpless.

"But as you can see, he failed. I broke out of the magical block and acquired my ladyships."

Some of the initial shock on Lord and Lady Rivers' faces was slightly replaced by anger. "He blocked your magic, just because he feared your power, what you  _ could _ do with it?" Lord Rivers said in dismay.

"Yes. And it was his greatest mistake. Because now, I don't only want to overcome the Light and the Dark because of their ideals. He has now made a more personal quest. I strongly desire to get back at both Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort."

At the last part of her declaration, they both became suddenly confused. Although Lord Rivers slowly started to understand.

"But he's dead... right? You already killed him?" Lady Rivers asked, growing more uncertain by the second.

"He's not dead. You saw a sort of black mist escape when the spell rebounded. That was him; He's not quite alive, he's weak and vulnerable, but not dead. He will, at some point, regain his strength and come back."

"I did have my suspicions...," Lord Rivers said dejectedly.

Just then, Alora felt her body begin to shrink. The Ageing Potion was wearing off. Lord and Lady Rivers started disbelievingly.

"I-," Lord Rivers attempted to form words before giving up to continue to stare.

"Of course, you're the same age as Jaxon Potter...," Lady Rivers muttered quietly. "But how can you be? I believe that Potter has just turned eight," she spoke clearer.

Lord Rivers shook his head before saying, "You act nothing like what a child does. How are you so mature? So... clever and adultlike?"

Alora let a small smirk shine on her face. "My maturity, cleverness, powerfulness all matches or may even rise above most adults. But as for why, well it is a family secret. I will say, however, that it is for the same reason that I acquired ladyships, and especially this young."

'Well, this is a lot to take in, Lady Emrys," Lord Rivers said. His face showed many emotions, but most evident was the fact that he believed her. And that he appeared relatively willing to change a few things.

"Please, call me Alora," Alora interjected.

Lady Rivers smiled and said, "Then call us Dominic and Cassandra."

A few moments passed in a non-awkward silence before Dominic spoke again. "Your plan then, Alora, is to establish goals, to quit standing aside." Alora nodded.

Cassandra thoughtfully added, "You have enough raw political power just with the seats you hold. Our goals would need to be brought in front of the Wizengamot by you. Then, be backed by the house of Rivers, and the rest of the Neutrals."

"That is what I had thought," Alora agreed.

Dominic said, "As soon as we have agreed on what these goals should be, then we need to present them to the rest of us. I am sure that they will back us in this. And perhaps we could even sway a few houses from the Dark and the Light which stand a bit closer to the edge."

Alora smiled brightly. "You agree then?"

"Yes," Dominic said. "There are a lot of things we have to think about, things to discuss and do, but I agree." He added more as an afterthought, "And this may be the only way to save our predicament."

The three had been so intent in their discussion that they failed to hear the soft opening of the drawing room door.

"Mother, Father, who is that?"

They all wheeled around to face the direction of the voice. A little girl with beachy blonde hair stood in the doorway—her bright blue-grey eyes filled with wonder.

"Estella! I have told you not to enter this room when the door is closed," her mother reprimanded.

As Alora continued to study the girl in the doorway, she recalled seeing the older version of her in her visions. The Rivers family had attempted to stay away from the war. But Alora recalled Estella, unfortunately, getting caught up amidst it.

Dominic turned from his daughter and looked back at Alora. "This is Estella, our second oldest. I believe she is your age..." He left the question unasked.

Alora slightly tilted her head before saying, "Then she will be going to Hogwarts with me in three years." She looked back at Estella who now carried a slightly confused but curiosity filled look. Alora would need allies during her Hogwarts years, after all. Estella would make a good one. Considering that she was the daughter of the leaders of the Neutrals, she would already be respected among their year mates.

Alora made up her mind and smiled at the beachy blonde girl. "Nice to meet you, Estella. I'm Alora."


End file.
